Sword Art Online: From the Outside
by xxSPARTAN119xx
Summary: Thousands of people are fighting for their lives inside Sword Art Online. Meanwhile, on the other side, news agencies frantically broadcast the dangers using the game, while police begin an international manhunt for Kayaba Akihiko, the man behind all this... all the while, a victim's relative turned vigilante tries to get to him first... OCs, possible AU.
1. Chapter 1: From the Outside

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works. **

_November 6th, 2022, NHK TV news reporting studio, Tokyo, Japan_

"Our top story tonight", a female news reader said, "Over two hundred have been found dead after playing the new virtual reality multiplayer video game Sword Art Online on the Nerve Gear virtual reality game console. The cause of death appears to be damage to the brain caused by microwave radiation emitted from the device. Family and relatives of anyone using the device are strongly encouraged to stay tuned, and to not attempt to remove the Nerve Gear device from the user, as this may result in the activation of the fatal microwave emissions"

"More disturbingly", the news reader continued, "government agencies and media outlets across the world have received a message from an individual claiming to be Kayaba Akihiko, reclusive genius CEO of Argus Corporation, and designer of Nerve Gear console. The message states that the deadly effect of the Nerve Gear device is not a production defect, but was intentionally engineered into the console to produce the fatal microwave radiation upon the death of the player's in game avatar, or any attempt to remove or destroy the Nerve Gear. Akihiko has given a two-hour window to transport victims of the device to hospitals. Local authorities are now in the process of transporting the victims, where they will be placed on life support. After the two hour window, the message states that any disconnection from external power for more than ten minutes will result in the death of the player, activated by the Nerve Gear's internal battery."

"Nerve Gear units and copies of Sword Art Online have been taken off store shelves across the country, and in other countries in which the console has been released, and any person who possesses as Nerve Gear or copy of the game that is not currently in use it is urged to turn the device in to local authorities. Earlier today, police raided the corporate headquarters of Argus with a search warrant, and seized blueprints and other materials pertaining to the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online, and brought several high ranking employees in for questioning, however, they have not located Akihiko. The National Police Agency, working in concert with Interpol, has set up an information hotline has been set up, and citizens are urged to report any sightings of Akihiko or other information relating to his whereabouts."

The screen was covered entirely with the following text:

KAYABA AKIHIKO INFORMATION HOTLINE:

Phone: 555-394-1369

Email: akihiko_tipline .jp

_Electronics store, Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, November 6__th__, 2022_

As soon as that news broadcast flashed through across out TV display, I had a feeling this would happen. What I didn't expect was for the cops to show up at the door of my workplace literally three minutes after the broadcast.

Several officers walked into the building, surprising some of the shoppers, but others looked like they knew exactly what they were here for.

"Souta Kobayashi–san ", a police officer, a sergeant who appeared to be leading the others, "You're the manager of this place, correct"

"Yes", I replied, "I'm assuming you're here for the Sword Art Online copies".

"Yes, we're here to confiscate all copies of Sword Art Online, Nerve Gear consoles, and any other Nerve Gear software you have in stock and we have a warrant for records of all of your sales of Sword Art Online.", the officer replied quickly.

"When I heard the announcement on the TV, I placed all of the copies of the game I have left in the back room, but I only have about a dozen, they sold out so quickly.", I responded, "The Nerve Gear consoles and games are over there, the cashier should have a key to the display case". I motioned to a glass case containing Nerve Gear consoles and games along the wall.

"Ishikawa, Ueda", the police sergeant said to two of his subordinates, "Get those Nerve Gears and games into the truck".

"On it, sir", one of the police officers said, walking over with a hand truck and proceeding to the start loading the consoles on the dolly, which they would presumably wheel out a truck parked outside.

From what little I could see outside, it looked like the police were raiding all the electronics stores on this street- probably all the stores in Tokyo... no in Japan… and loading the consoles and games into trucks.

"They must be doing the same thing in North America and Europe and anywhere else Sword Art Online was released", I thought as I led the police officers through the door to the back room.

The sergeant directed one of his subordinates to collect the remaining dozen copies of Sword Art Online, while I entered the back office with the sergeant and started the computer. I inputted the password, which allowed access to the sales records, into the computer.

"I have the sales records here", I said, "You should be able to find information on anyone who paid with a credit card, but if they paid with cash, I'll only have a record of the sale".

The sergeant motioned me to move over. I got out of the chair and moved to the side as he inserted a flash drive and uploaded the data.

"You ordered two hundred fifty copies of Sword Art Online from the manufacturer, is this correct?", the police sergeant asked.

"Yes", I responded.

"And you sold 238 on the first day?", the officer continued.

"Yes", I responded again.

"Hayashi", the sergeant yelled out into the store room.

"Yes", the police officer named Hayashi responded.

"How many copies of Sword Art Online did you find in the storeroom?"

"Twelve, sir", Hayashi responded.

"Everything here seems to check out", the sergeant said as he left, "Thank your for your cooperation".

"Good luck finding Akihiko and getting all those people out of there.", I said as the police left the store.

**Author's Note: The Akihiko hotline and email are obviously completely fictional, so don't bother calling! I do not know what the proper format for a Japanese phone number looks like, so I took some artistic license. **


	2. Chapter 2: Two Theories of Disarmament

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works. **

_Sgt. Noboru Fujioka, Special Assault Team_

_November 8, 2022, Japanese Coast Guard vessel off the shores of Izu Oshima island._

The cool sea breeze in my face was suddenly halted as I donned by SAT helmet in preparation to board a yacht off the coast of Izu Oshima island, a popular vacation destination several hundred kilometers off the coast of Tokyo.

I am sergeant Noboru Fujioka of the National Police Agency's Special Assault Team and right now, I am aboard a Japanese Coast Guard vessel in pursuit of a yacht that disappeared from port in the early hours of November 6th, 2024. The yacht suspected to have a fugitive on board. I am the leader of one of three SAT teams, backed up by other armed police and coast guard personnel spread out among three coast guard vessels. The fugitive isn't known to be armed, but the authorities are taking no chances on this one, and rightly so, what I am preparing for will likely be the most high profile arrest of my career.

I can't say I want the fame and media attention that could come from such an arrest, but everyone wants to get the man who owns this boat. The owner of the yacht is Kayaba Akihiko, CEO of Argus software, now on Interpol's most wanted list for the murder of over 200 people, using a most unusual weapon, a video game the literally kills the user if they die in game.

As we get nearer to the boat, I load a magazine into my Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine gun as the loud speaker on the coast guard vessel barks, "This is the Japanese Coast Guard, all persons on board the yacht are ordered to come onto the top deck with their hands in the air! Repeat, all persons on the vessel are to come to the top deck keep your hands where we can see them!"

A group of five people climbed up out of the cabin of the yacht, hands raised into the air as the coast guard vessel sailed fight up the side of the yacht. Even before I jumped the gap between the two boats, it was clear that none of these people were Kayaba Akihiko.

"Fujioka", a Coast Guard lieutenant ordered, "Clear the vessel, make sure Akihiko isn't inside."

"You heard the man", I commanded squad, "Stack up and by that door, breach and clear!".

I stood at the side of the door, the rest of the squad stacked up behind me. "All right, lets move!", I yelled as I kicked down the door and burst in, looking straight down the holographic sight attached to my MP5.

My voice was one of several that called out "Police, come out with you hands up!", but no one was in the room. Within a second, I yelled "Clear forward".

Soon afterwards, calls of "Clear right", "Clear left", "Clear rear", "Clear behind the bar!", rang out.

"All right", I said, "Looks like this room is clear."

The room in question appeared to be a sort of living room or rec room, with expensive looking leather armchairs and a similar couch in front of a large plasma TV. The couch looked like someone had been sleeping on it, and there was a sleeping bag on the floor. It looked like a people had been sleeping on the lower deck.

To one side their was a pool table, and in the rear of the room, their was a marble-topped bar, behind which was a small kitchen area that was well stocked with beer, liquor, and snacks. A few empty beer cans lay on the countertop. A staircase descended from the deck above, while another staircase led down below.

"Man look at this place, this Akihiko guy is loaded!", one of the officers in my squad, Tachibana, said.

"Don't think that's part of the usual décor though", another officer said, "Looks like some of those guys were crashing on the floor".

"Cut the chatter", I responded, "Minami", I said to the only female officer in my squad, take Tachibana and Katou clear the lower decks. Rest of you, with me!".

"Roger", she responded.

I led the squad up the staircase, moving in stack, weapons at the ready.

"Breaching!", I said as I kicked the door down, bursting into a room with a couple bunks on each wall, as well as a smaller HDTV on the wall. Out one end of the room was an opening on to an outside balcony above the main deck. The other end opened to the bridge of the vessel. It was immediately clear no one was in the room.

"Bedroom clear", I yelled immediately, quickly followed by "Outdoor deck clear!", and "Bridge clear!"

After confirming all of the upper deck was clear, I got out my radio and spoke into it, "Minami", I said, "Upper deck is clear, no sign of Akihiko, any luck on your end?"

"Negative", Minami's voice spoke through the walkie-talkie, "Engine room is clear".

"He's not here then, regroup on the main deck", I said. Several members of the squad let out expletives and shouts of frustration at the news.

When I exited the cabin of the vessel, the five occupants of the vessel were being led off the yacht and onto the coast guard vessel.

"No luck with Akihiko?", the coast guard lieutenant asked, "Afraid not, sir", I responded.

"I thought so", the lieutenant said, "Apparently these guys are friends of Akihiko. He told them they could borrow the boat for a few days. I bet he did that as a distraction, make us assume he was on the boat."

"This guy's a tricky bastard", the lieutenant said as we climbed back onto the coast guard vessel. Akihiko was a tricky bastard indeed, all of his five addresses around the world, three in Japan- a penthouse suite in Tokyo, a mansion in Okinawa, another mansion in the Japanese Alps. He also had another penthouse suite in New York City, and a vacation home in the French Riviera. Police stormed all of these locations, and the headquarters and major branch office of Argus within an hour of the broadcast. He wasn't in any of them. None of his cars have moved, and his private jet is still in its executive hanger at Narita Airport, now cordoned off police tape. It was as though Akihiko had disappeared off the face of the Earth.

_Yukiko Nakahara, National Police Agency_

_December 17__th__, 2022. National Police Agency Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan._

If you told me I was going a six months ago that I would be working for the cyber-crimes division of the NPA, I would have laughed at the very thought. Yet here I am, working at the NPA on the case of Kayaba Akihiko, game designer turned mass murderer whose rigged game Sword Art Online has now caused the deaths of over two thousand people.

My name is Yukiko Nakahara, until about six months ago, I was one of the few computer hackers out there who also happened to be female. I was introduced to the art of computer hacking by a friend from my high school computer club. At first we just did minor stuff- denial of service, making websites link to other pages as soon as someone logs in.

But, as I started spending more time chatting online with the wider "nerd" community, I started getting into more and more serious actions- hacking government databases and the like. By my second year in college, I had little difficulty hacking into databases of the Japanese government, as well as most major corporations, and had even hacked foreign governments a few times. It was a rush, sneaking into the dark corners of the internet, and seeing things people did not want you to see.

Unfortunately, my dangerous hobby got the better of me, and I was caught hacking into the NPA database and arrested. That earned me a year in prison, however, I only served about six months of my sentence.

And that is how I ended up here. I was one of a number of convicted computer hackers were offered parole in exchange for our help with the Akihiko investigation. I was determined trustworthy enough to be released, though my computer use is still being monitors, and I have to meet with a parole officer every month for the next six months. Nonetheless, I am no longer living behind bars, and the job at the NPA pays better than most other jobs I could get with my record. I've even been told there are opportunities for permanent positions in the cyber-crimes unit after this the Akihiko case is closed.

For now, however, I am part of a task force of dozens of computer experts at this facility and countless others throughout the country whose main job is to hack into the software of the Nerve Gear console and shut down the device without activating the microwave emitter.

Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. We have managed to get a hold of a considerable number of Nerve Gears- most of the Nerve Gears in stores sold out almost immediately, but apparently a few hundred were seized from an Argus factory, and we have managed to activate them and connect them to a computer, so as to interface with the device without becoming trapped within the game world ourselves.

As far as progress in actually disarming the Nerve Gear, we have made little progress. The code for this thing is more complex than anything I have ever seen before. There are firewalls everywhere, and code operating the microwave device seems to be highly redundant. You disable one line of code controlling the device, and another seems to take its place. Not to mention, there's a lot of code that we're not even entirely sure what it does.

We have got some information out of the databases, but not much that we didn't know before and even less that is actually useful the Akihiko investigation. Just two days ago, I managed to extract a data on the users of the game, including IP addresses, biometric data, avatar gender, level, etc., as well as some information on "guilds" within the game, and game progress.

This offers little that can help with our investigation, but does offer some insights on what's going on in the game. Apparently, the object of the game is to clear all 100 floors, only then will Akihiko release the players. However, the second floor was cleared only three days ago, however, 2372 people have died. In the database is a list of the dead, along with the in-game "cause of death".

The guild list also gives the interesting insight that people on the inside are clearly trying to escape the game, as evidenced by the "Aincrad Liberation Front" guild, though they apparently aren't doing to well as in the area of liberation, considering they only just cleared the second floor. The player list gives the level, avatar data, biometric data, and IP address, as well as some other information. Somewhat unusually, the ratio of male to female avatars is actually about what you would expect from the actually demographics of MMORPG players. It almost seems like everyone's being honest!

The only piece of information really of any use whatsoever to the case was also found on the players list. Most of the users of Sword Art Online have IP addresses listed next to their names. There is, however, only one player who does not have their IP address, a male avatar named "Heathcliff". While we have no way of confirming this, the task force believes that "Heathcliff" may be none other hand Kayaba Akihiko himself. This assertion is further supported by the fact that "Heathcliff" is also one of the highest level players in the game, rivaled only by someone named "Kirito" and a rare female avatar named "Asuna".

While it does not give us any leads on Akihiko's whereabouts, if it is indeed true that Kayaba Akihiko is "Heathcliff", it does tell us that Akihiko himself is in fact playing his own game of life and death. This could shed some light on his motive, though that will be the job of the criminal profiling department. Meanwhile, I have to get back to work.

_Lt. Taichi Kurosawa, Tokyo Metropolitan PD Bomb Disposal Unit_

_January, 9__th__, 2023, Tokyo PD Bomb Disposal Unit Headquarters, outskirts of Tokyo_

"Damn it", mine and several other voices in the room swore, as, for what must have been the hundredth time since the Akihiko case started, my ears were filled with an unpleasant bleeping sound. That was the sound of the microwave detector that was inside the "Nerve Gear" console I was currently attempting to disable.

That bleeping sound meant I had failed again. If that Nerve Gear had been actually attached to a person, and not simply activated by a computer hack, the user would be dead. I am Taichi Kurosawa, Tokyo Metro PD Lieutenant and a head of the Bomb Disposal Unit.

Since the Kayaba Akihiko case, my unit has been tasked with finding a way to "physically" disarm the microwave generator attached to the Nerve Gear console. In principle, it is similar to disarming an electrically triggered explosive device.

In both cases, there are three main components, the triggering mechanism, the power source, and the device itself, whether it's an explosive charge or, in this case, a microwave device intended to fry the brain of the user if they die in a video game. In order to disarm the device, you must isolate it from the triggering mechanism or the power source, or preferably, both.

That's the theory, but in practice, the Nerve Gear has been more difficult to disarm than any explosive device I have encountered- and that's saying something- I have dealt with military grade ordnance before. First of all, the Nerve Gear has an internal battery to deal with disconnection with external power sources (at least for a short period of time, after which the microwave device will automatically activate). The redundant power source, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Nerve Gear has more wires and other electronic components than anything I have seen before, and half of those aren't even on the blueprints we seized from Argus Headquarters. The whole thing is rigged with devices to detect tampering- it took us a month just to figure out how to get the outer panels off without activating the device. There are at least five different triggering devices that we have identified, but I'd hazard a guess that there's at least five more we don't know about. Finally, each of these triggering mechanisms has a backup connection to power- if you cut one wire, the other will take over and activate the microwave. All in all, you get a system with so many paths from trigger to power source to microwave device that it is impossible to isolate the microwave device from the power or microwave device.

There was however, one way to disarm the device that did work, however, it is not practical as this method would kill the Nerve Gear user even if the device didn't.

It was the third day of the investigation when I came up with the idea. I figured if we couldn't disarm the device by cutting wires, we might be able to due so by quickly destroying both power sources in a fraction of a second. I saw two ways of doing this- with a gunshot and a very small amount of explosives. The gunshot was obviously out of the question, but I wondered if I couldn't get a small enough explosive charge to destroy the battery without harming the user…

Most people under most situations would probably get fired for attempting such a stunt, but I was a veteran officer, and the NPA was willing to follow any possible lead in disarming the device. So, I took a confiscated Nerve Gear with a microwave detector and a ballistics gel head with a synthetic skull inside out to the bomb range out back. I placed a roughly pea-sized amount of plastic explosive on top of the battery, and attached a remotely activated blasting cap, before unplugging the Nerve Gear from the extension cord back to the building.

Once in the safety of the bunker, I detonated the charge. The explosion was very small, hardly more than a large firecracker, small enough in fact that the microwave detector both survived the blast, and did not activate. I thought for one wonderful moment I had done it… from here, we only had to experiment with the minimum possible charge, and optimum placement to minimize risk to the Nerve Gear user.

But it was not to be. The blast had indeed destroyed the battery, but the plastic under the battery was particularly prone to fragmenting under intense shock, creating lethal shrapnel that entered the ballistics gel head. Considering the number of precautions Akihiko placed against physically disarming and, from what I hear from the cyber crimes division, electronic disarmament as well, I wouldn't be surprised if Akihiko planned that as well.


	3. Chapter 3: Unfair Advantage

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works. **

_Lt. Taichi Kurosawa, Tokyo Metropolitan PD Bomb Disposal Unit_

_February 25__th__, 2023, Argus Software HQ, Akihabara, Tokyo_

"What's the situation, officer", I asked the police officer, one of several standing next to the two police cars that blocked off a roughly 500 meter section the main road through Akihabara, around the headquarters of Argus Software inc. I got the call from the officers at the scene about 30 minutes ago.

Apparently, another mail bomb had been sent to the offices of Argus. This was relatively common within the first few months of the Sword Art Online crisis, people blaming Argus as a whole for the loss of their loved ones. In the first few weeks alone, there were five bombs sent to Argus HQ.

The attacks had ceased when Argus fell victim to dozens of lawsuits over Sword Art Online, and it became clear of that the rest of the employees of Argus did not know about the addition of the microwave generator in the device- Kayaba Akihiko had drafted the plans himself and send them directly to a low-wage factory in China, where the people who produced the device had no idea exactly what they were making. Not to mention that, after a series of recent lawsuits, Argus had sold the rights to Fulldive technology to RETCO Progress, and was rumored to be about to declare bankruptcy. Apparently, however, some people didn't get the message.

"One of the clerks working in the first floor mail room told us she was sorting through incoming mail when she found a package with a tear in the side with some wires sticking out of it. Everyone in the area of the building has already been evacuated"

"All right", I said, "Yamasaki", get the EOD bot ready".

"On it, sir", Yamasaki, the explosive ordnance disposal robot operator, said as he opened the back doors of the police truck with the help of another officer, revealing the Mark V-A2 EOD remote control EOD vehicle, a remotely machine about the size of a riding lawn mower, protected by Kevlar plates equipped with a manipulator arm with attached wire cutter, and a high pressure water jet and a shotgun loaded with slugs, to disarm bombs in a more forceful manner.

The robot moved down the ramp, before rolling forward, towards the entrance of the Argus Software Building, easily negotiating the four steps between the street and the entranceway. I looked at the laptop screen of Yamasaki's shoulder, watching the feed from the color video camera on the robot.

Yamasaki had no trouble finding the mailroom- he had guided the remote controlled EOD bot through Argus HQ over the last few months that he had practically memorized floor plan. The package question was on a counter in the mailroom. It was not a box, but rather one of those oversized manila envelopes, about 10 cm thick and 20 cm wide and 40 centimeters long.

Yamasaki moved arm on which the camera was mounted to get a closer look at the package. The package had a bulge in it roughly the size and shape of length of metal pipe. The corner of the package had a couple of wires sticking.

"Looks like we're dealing with dealing with a pipe bomb with an electric detonator", I said, "The water jet should be able to take care of it."

"Activating water jet now, sir", Yamasaki said, as he placed the crosshairs for the high-pressure water jet over the two exposed wires. Yamasaki pressed a key on his laptop, and the high-pressure water jet fired with enough force to sever the two wires and even blew a hole in the casing of the pipe bomb. The paper package was completely blow away, now shredded, soaked remains lying on the other side of the room. The water leaking out of the hole blown in the pipe bomb was black. The device was most likely a black powder bomb.

With the bomb rendered safe, I got into my car and returned to the EOD HQ. The rest of the squad would deal with removing the disarmed device, and I would go back to trying to find a way to disarm the microwave device in a Nerve Gear.

Overall, I had mixed feelings about this job; I was a bit annoyed that I had to be interrupted from the Nerve Gear project. On the other hand, it was nice to actually succeed at disarming something. We were getting nowhere fast. There were so many redundant wire and trigger mechanisms, that in four months time, we had not even been able to cut more than four of the dozens of wires in the device before we set off microwave.

Not to mention other methods of disarming the device- using a shotgun slug, small explosive charge, or the robot's water jet to take out the battery were obviously too dangerous- in a couple tests I conducted first with a pea-sized plastic explosive charge and later the EOD bot's water jet, the battery was destroyed, but the forceful disarming methods sent lethal plastic shrapnel into the simulated (made from ballistic gel and a type of plastic, with a similar density to human bone) victim's head. It was the kind of problem that made you want to swear loudly, fly into a rage and break something, or drink heavily.

_Yukiko Nakahara, National Police Agency_

_April 9__th__, 2023. National Police Agency Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan._

Three months have passed and the effort to hack the Nerve Gear was, suffice it to say, not going well. We have made no progress whatsoever in finding a way to disarm the Nerve Gear device, and not for lack of trying. I've lost count of the number of nights I've spent on overtime, fueled on espresso, trying to find a way around maze of firewalls that protected the Nerve Gear's internal software.

On the occasions I am able to get some sleep, have to fight against bleeping sound of that microwave detector echoing in my head, reminding me of the failure that, every second, is endangering thousands of lives. So far, we've intercepted some game records and even some miscellaneous chatter between players of the game, however, the only thing of any interest to the investigation we've found is a little more on the suspicious "Heathcliff" character.

It seems even more likely now that "Heathcliff" is Kayaba Akihiko. I'd say, either he's Akihiko, or else he is an extremely skilled hacker, as he seems to have manipulated the very source code of the game to give himself an unfair advantage.

For one, I've managed to get a hold of the leveling records in Sword Art Online. It states that Heathcliff started the game as a level 100, and that all of his skills were at 1000/1000. That should not be possible, as the highest level at the official start of the game was level 15, attained by one of the beta testers. Not to mention, I noticed that the source code for "Heathcliff's" HP bar has some weird coding that isn't on the others. No one on the task force have any idea what this means though. Something tells me it is yet another unfair advantage, though….

_Souta Kobayashi_

_May 16th, 2023, Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan._

It was a release date for a high profile video game, yet the crowds that surrounded the Akihabara electronics store I was the manager of seemed less dense than usual. It was understandable why the crowds were smaller- today was the release date of a virtual reality console, the AmuSphere.

RETCO Progress Incorporated, the corporation that bought Fulldive Technology after Argus went under due to a series of crippling lawsuits, stated that the AmuSphere was completely safe, and went out to prove this, releasing information on how the device used a lower frequency microwave generator, which could not harm the user as the Nerve Gear could, and featured a number of other safety devices, including an emergency logout feature. Nonetheless, people are naturally suspicious of virtual reality after the Sword Art Online fiasco six months ago. In fact, I still have a significant number of unsold AmuSpheres.

I was not surprise at the comparatively small number of AmuSphere customers. Indeed, I was more surprised at the very existence of the AmuSphere at all. This is because the CEO of RETCO progress, Shouzou Yuuki's daughter Asuna is one of the 10,000 people trapped within Sword Art Online. One would think, given the circumstances, that Yuuki would have been a little more reluctant to utilize the technology- apparently he is has donated considerable amounts of money to the effort to care for the victims while they are trapped in Sword Art Online, as well efforts to disarm the Nerve Gear, however, even with his money, as well as massive amounts of government funding, the efforts to rescue the victims of Sword Art Online were getting nowhere. It was clear that this was a problem one could not simply throw yen at and expect results.

**Authors Notes: The Mark V-A2 explosive ordnance disposal robot mentioned in the first section is meant to be a fictional improvement on the real-life Mark V-A1 EOD bot currently used by US Army, the Israeli Defense forces, and police departments of Los Angeles and Toronto. As for the water jet, this is a real EOD technique, but I'm not sure if a water jet on an EOD bot would actually blow a hole in the actual casing of a pipe bomb or just take out the firing mechanism. **


	4. Chapter 4: Sayonara, Onii-chan

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works. **

_Shinichiro Matsuoka_

_June 17th, 2023, apartment near Tokyo University_

I sat at the desk in my small apartment, staring at the first form in the stack of papers on my desk. It read: "Firearm Acquisition License Application". Contrary to the belief of many foreigners, you could buy a gun in Japan, if you were willing to fill out a mountain of paperwork.

Picking up my pen, I signed my name, "Shinichiro Matsuoka" in the "name column" and "24" in the age column. I then checked off the box next to "rifle" in the weapon type column and "target shooting" in the "purpose box".

But in truth, that would not be the primary purpose for which I was purchasing the weapon. Oh, I would use it for target shooting, but I had something else in mind for the primary purpose…

"What is my primary purpose? What would a computer science major at Tokyo University need with a rifle? That part is simple. I intend to kill Kayaba Akihiko, the man who caused me and my family so much suffering.

It happened on June 12th, 2023. I had been living away from home in this apartment for three years now. I had just gotten back to the apartment at around 5:00 when the phone rang. It was my mother, she sounded distraught, unable to hide her tears even over the phone.

I asked her what was wrong, though I knew what it had to be. Ever since September of last year, my entire family had been dreading this… "Sachiko…", she said through her sobs… "Is dead… killed by… that… that game".

As soon as I heard her name, I broke down into tears. Sachiko Matsuoka, my little sister, dead at only 16…. Murdered by Kayaba Akihiko…. As though he had personally run her through with a sword.

_Three days earlier, June 14, 2023, Day of the funeral of Sachiko Matsuoka_

I stared, tears in my eyes, as the last earthly remains of my sister were interred into the ground. Sachiko… She had bought that game that day, not knowing she was about to fall victim to the worst mass murderer in history… She had always been a sweet, innocent girl, somewhat quiet, perhaps even shy at times… Why? Why did she have to die? Did she suffer? Did the Nerve Gear console transmit pain to the user? Why did Akihiko want to kill her and so many others? Simply for his own sick pleasure?

That night, I was haunted by nightmares, horrible images passed through my mind. Sachiko backed into a corner, terror in her eyes, as some dark figure raised a sword over her. The blade swung forward in a flash of cold steel and flying blood.

The image changed immediately, to a ward in a hospital in Tokyo, where Sachiko lay on a bed, connected to life support systems. Suddenly, a humming sound came from the Nerve Gear console over her head. Sachiko writhed in pain for a few seconds as the microwave generator mounted in the device literally cooked her brain alive. Sachiko fell still, as the heart rate monitor letting out a loud bleeping sound as Sachiko expired.

The images changed again… the dark figure revealed his face, to be that of Kayaba Akihiko, exactly as like the photo circulated throughout the media since September. I tried to walk towards him, I would kill him with my bare hands, crush his neck until he breathed no more.

But something was holding me in place, like I was paralyzed. As I struggled to move, Akihiko stood there, waving a broadsword stained in Sachiko's blood in my face and laughed sadistically, clearly enjoying my suffering and my inability to do anything about it.

After several seconds Akihiko and his maniacal laughter faded, replaced by a second figure, who turned out to be none other than Sachiko herself, dressed in dark blue vest and a lighter blue dress with a dark blue skirt matching her vest. I knew at once this had to be Sachiko's game avatar.

"Sachi-chan?", I asked.

"_Onii-chan", _Sachiko softly said, "I'm sorry I couldn't see you again. I… I just want to tell you I love you… and don't lose yourself in grief… Don't blame yourself…"

Don't blame yourself, _onii-chan", _ Sachiko continued, "Because there is someone who is very much to blame… That man is Kayaba Akihiko. I… do not wish you to burden you with this… but… if you ever find out anything about Akihiko, make sure he is brought to justice…"

With her next sentence, Sachiko's voice changed, a coldness and vindictiveness I had never heard before. "And after Akihiko ends up on the other side…", Sachiko said darkly as, she produced, seemingly out of nowhere, a spear with a handle about as long as she was, with a large head with murderous-looking barbs, "I'll see that he gets what he deserves….".

As she finished her sentence, Sachiko thrust the spear downwards for dramatic effect. As soon as the spear hit the ground, Sachiko picked it up and put it behind her back, causing it to seemingly disappear. As Sachiko did so, returned to her usual self.

"Send my parents my love…", Sachiko said, "Until I see you on the other side… _Sayonara, onii-chan." _

As Sachiko started to fade away, I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Wait!, Don't leave me!", I said, hoping she would return, but it was to no avail. She was gone in seconds.

"SACHIKO!", I yelled as I woke up, realizing I had actually shouted. The tears in the dream were also quite real, having soaked into my pillow.

Thankfully, no one was woken by my shout, as no one entered the room as I whispered "Sachiko-chan… I will kill Kayaba Akihiko for you… or die trying…"

_July 22nd, 2023, Shooting range north of Tokyo._

Finally, after over a month of waiting, the paperwork went through, I was now the owner of Howa M-1500 bolt-action rifle in .300 Winchester Magnum, complete with a 5x telescopic sight. The rifle had black, high impact plastic furniture.

I chose the .300 Win Mag caliber after hearing on the internet that it could take down even the largest game in a single shot. Once I get a clean shot at Akihiko, there will be no surviving that. This thing wouldn't just kill him, it would blow his fucking head off.

To tell you the truth, I was a little worried that the government bureaucrats reviewing my application would be suspicious of me using such a high caliber for target shooting, but, it looked like this time, luck was on my side.

Now, I stood on the firing line of a shooting range in a mountainous area north of Tokyo, having just loaded five 300 Win Mag rounds into the weapon. I took aim at the nearest target, a range of some fifty meters and stared down the five times magnification scope, placing the crosshairs right over the center of the target.

I slowly exhaled as I squeezed the trigger, imagining the target to be the face Kayaba Akihiko himself. The round blew right through the bull's eye.

After scoring a few more hits at the 50 meter target, all of them dead center, I tried something a little more challenging. I lined up the crosshair on the 200 meter target and steadied my aim.

As I pulled the trigger, the wind picked up, sending the bullet to the right, only barely grazing the side of the paper target.

"Damn it", I muttered as I turned the bolt, chambering a second round. This time, I placed the crosshair a few degrees the right and pulled the trigger.

With some further adjustments, I managed to get decently tight grouping with the last three rounds, one of dead center of the bull's eye and two more slightly below it. Still, this was at only the 200 meter target- the firing range had targets out to 800 meters. Granted, my engagement range will probably be relatively short compared to the maximum range of the rifle. Still, I should probably be able to hit a target at 400 meters before I try to take out Akihiko.

I pulled back the bolt of the Howa M1500 rifle and slid first one, then two, three, four, five rounds into the loading gate and pushed the bolt forward. I then raised the rifle and placed the crosshairs over the target, slowly exhaling as I squeezed the trigger.

A .300 Win Mag round flew out of the barrel, before it impacted violently with the center of Akihiko's face… or rather the paper target that I imagined to be Akihiko's face… Nonetheless, I imagined with vindictive pleasure the sight of Kayaba Akihiko's head exploding in a red mist, sending him beyond to answer to Sachiko and all the others he murdered in cold blood.

I gave a small exclamation of victory, seeing that the round had gone right through the bull's eye, before I turned the bolt, ejecting the spent round onto the ground and firing a fourth shot, landing less than a centimeter from the previous one.

After firing off about 15 rounds into the 200 meter target, I was able to consistently get a tight grouping on the target. Satisfied, I took aim at the 100-meter target. It would take a while, but I would keep coming back to the range as often as possible. Hopefully, by the time I found Akihiko, I would be able to consistently hit a man-sized target at 400 meters or more…


	5. Chapter 5: Hunting Heathcliff

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Sword Art Online. Sword Art Online is owned by Reki Kawahara and ASCII Media Works.**

**This chapter contains spoilers from the "Phantom Bullet" Arc of the light novels. If you do not wish to be spoiled, do not read the part from the point of view of Shino Asada.**

_Shinichiro Matsuoka_

_October 14, 2023, Apartment near Tokyo University. _

Life has been difficult these past few months. On top of the loss of Sachiko, it's getting to the start of "mid-term season", meaning near constant studying. To tell you the truth, since Sachiko died, I have cared little about my studies, indeed, cared little for anything except planning my revenge.

Nonetheless, I had to continue, as it was vital to maintain my façade of the Shinichiro Matsuoka that everyone knew, the hard-working computer science major at Tokyo University, within a year of completing his degree and entering the rapidly expanding and highly competitive technology business. Now it becomes a chore just to go anywhere other than that shooting range north of the city. Even spending leisure time with friends seems more like a chore. Ironic that who I was mere months ago is now just a disguise. Truly, Sachiko's death changed me in ways even I do not fully understand.

Now, however, after two solid weeks of maintaining my disguise, I can finally get back to work on what now seems to me to be my sole purpose in life, to kill Kayaba Akihiko, to make him pay for what he did to Sachiko, what he did to my family… What he did to me. In any time not devoted disguise maintenance and practicing with my rifle at the shooting range, I have been hacking into various databases that might have some information about Akihiko's whereabouts.

The last place I looked for information on Akihiko was on the network of Argus Software HQ, just a few weeks before the company went under from a relentless barrage of lawsuits from the families of the victims. My family was not among them, however. No amount of money could ever compensate for the loss of Sachiko. Only one thing will bring me consolation: the moment when I kill Kayaba Akihiko by my own hand, and collect the debt of blood he owes my family.

Towards that ends, today, I hack into a much more ambitious target, the databases of the Japan's National Police Agency. I ran a port scan on the database a couple weeks ago, and spotted several found several potential gaps in their firewall that they seemed to have overlooked.

I selected a likely vulnerable point and waited for my hacking software of choice, to do its work. After a brief loading period, Backdoor displayed a computer screen of some NPA employee. I was in. Immediately, I clicked on the "Shared Files", and then clicked case files.

The computer displayed a window asking for a password. This was no obstacle to Backdoor, which I immediately set to work bombarding the computer with millions of character combinations per second. Finally, after about fifteen seconds of waiting, the file password window disappeared, and the case files were open. I clicked on the file labeled "Akihiko", and, after another password hack, was looking at the details of the Kayaba Akihiko investigation.

Apparently the police had tried just about everything to disarm the Nerve Gear, and are still trying to physically disarm it or hack the system to disable to the console. Their hacking efforts have not managed to get into the control for the microwave generator, however, they have managed to hack into the Sword Art Online server data.

I clicked on a document that reported the results of their ventured into the server. Apparently they suspect a guy named "Heathcliff" may be Akihiko, based on his unusual leveling record, as well as sort of weird extra material in the code for his HP bar. Still not sure what that means. Apart from that, all they have is some data related to guilds and player levels and inventories etc.

The only thing that I found on Akihiko's whereabouts, was, assuming he really was "Heathcliff", considering the Sword Art Online was only released in Japan- in other countries, SAO copies were confiscated while still in the warehouse for the international release a few days later. From the look of it, the police were having no more success in finding Akihiko than I was….

_Yukiko Nakahara, National Police Agency_

_November 24__th__, 2023. National Police Agency Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan._

Its been almost a year since I first discovered the unusual stats of the male avatar, "Heathcliff", when we first successfully hacked into the game servers. That, along with the lack of an IP address made the task force suspicious that "Heathcliff" was in fact Kayaba Akihiko. Six months later, I noticed an unusual section of code along with the coding for "Heathcliff's" HP meter. That further aroused suspicion about the identity of "Heathcliff".

Now, it seems even more likely that "Heathcliff" is Kayaba Akihiko. It at 11:30 PM on a Monday, as I scanned through the code of the game, a mouse in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, that I noticed it. In the midst of what appeared to be coding for the scenery. There was one line of code that repeated in the majority of the scenery objects. A line of code that seemed familiar…

Immediately brought up the suspicious section of code from the "Heathcliff" avatar. The last few lines of the section were an exact match. I could think of only one piece of code from scenery that would be beneficial to attach to an avatar: it was a piece of code that literally made "Heathcliff's" avatar an indestructible object. Thanks to this line of code, he was invincible.

Now that I think about it, it would make sense that Akihiko would himself be inside the game. He worked for years to create his murderous masterpiece, countless hours of secretive development. He would not have gone through all that if he was not going to see the finished product.

_Sgt. Noboru Fujioka, Special Assault Team_

_November 11, 2023, Abandoned building, Koto-ku, Tokyo_

I stood in stack with the rest of my squad at the entrance of an abandoned warehouse in the Koto ward of Tokyo. Apparently, this place was suspected of being a hideout for an illegal arms smuggling ring associated with the Yakuza. I clutched my MP5A4 submachine gun firmly. Any moment now, we would receive the order to enter the building.

"SAT, on me, breach and clear!", the lieutenant leading the squad ordered. The point man blasted the lock off the door with a "breacher" slug from his Benelli M3 shotgun and kicked down the door. I raised my MP5 to my shoulder and entered the structure.

The warehouse was no doubt abandoned, garbage, dust, and flecks of rust covered the floor, however, in the center of the of the room was a clearly shipping container, as well as several large wooden crates, all of which were marked with Chinese text.

I turned the to the right, taking dead aim down the EoTech holographic sight. Finding the corner of the warehouse empty, I swept around the container with about half of the squad.

Three very shaken men stood near container. Nonetheless, one of them tried to draw a handgun and another went for an AK-47 propped against a container. Both of them, however, were stopped in their tracks when I yelled "Police! Drop the weapon." The EoTech sight was projecting a crosshair right over the gunman's chest.

The man with pistol threw the weapon to the ground, as the other two stopped in their tracks. All three of them threw their hands in the air.

"Secure those subjects", The lieutenant ordered, and the nearest officers cuffed the subjects and led them out of the warehouse. The lieutenant then went about examining the cargo. Some of the crates had been opened, revealing Chinese-made AKs, handguns, ammunition, and in one crate….

"Looks like we've got some grenades in here", an SAT officer said.

"Get to a distance and maintain a perimeter around the structure", the lieutenant ordered, "They're probably safe, but we should have EOD arriving on the scene any minute now, just to make sure."

_Shino Asada_

_November 11, 2023, Ryou-machi, Shiga Prefecture_

I walked into the living room, on my way with to the kitchen to get something to drink. The television was currently set to a news station.

"In other news", the news anchor said, "Tokyo police today arrested three individuals associated with the an illegal arms smuggling ring and seized a large shipment of arms smuggled in from China…."

At that moment, the image on the screen switched to images the seized weapons- AK47s, submachine guns, ammunition, hand grenades… As those images flashed before my eyes, my heart rate quickened, pounding away in my chest so rapidly, it felt like it would explode. A ringing filled my ears and my legs went numb.

Then I saw it, the Type 54 handgun, a Chinese copy of the Russian Tokarev, known as the "Black Star" for the distinctive insignia on the grip. At once, it felt like I was back in that post office three years ago, staring down the barrel of that very weapon… the weapon that nearly killed my mother, and the weapon that stained my hands with blood.

I at once, the whole incident rushed out of the dark recesses of my memory like a dam breaking. The man's insane, drug-addled mind reflected in his eyes as he shot that postal worker and then pointed the gun at my mother. The taste of blood as I bit in the man's hand, causing him to drop the gun, the uncomfortable weight of the Tokarev as I seized it in my hands, the cracking sound and violent recoil of the gun as I shot the man three times with his own weapon. On the third shot, I dislocated my shoulder, but the robber had come off worse- he had two bullet wounds in his chest and one straight between the eyes. I remembered the feeling of his blood flowing down my hands….

At that moment, I let out a blood curdling scream, and fell to my knees, overwhelmed by the memories of the that horrible day.

"Shino-chan, are you OK?", It was my grandmother.

"I'm fine", I said, not entirely truthfully, and walked away.

It had been three years since the incident. I had painstakingly managed to control my fear of guns by forcing myself to look at pictures in books on firearms in the library. I could usually look at pictures of firearms in a book on TV now, but… that one weapon, the Tokarev… it still brought back those memories… How could anyone understand me? I must be the only girl in Japan, maybe the world, who has had this sort of experience…

"There has been an upswing in the number of arrests associated with illegal arms trafficking and weapons violations in the last year", the reporter continued. "According to one police report, a suspect stated during interrogation that this was in large part due people not associated with the Yakuza purchasing these weapons", the news reporter continued as I walked away, into the kitchen.

The reporter continued, "Many of those arrested for illegal arms purchases stated that they had loved ones killed in the ongoing Sword Art Online incident, and purchased the weapon with the intent to kill Kayaba Akihiko, Sword Art Online creator and internationally wanted fugitive"

**Author's Notes: The location of Shino Asada's hometown is never given in the light novels, so I selected a town and prefecture at random. **


End file.
